brainpopfandomcom-20200223-history
Taiga/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, and a robot, Moby are being pulled on a sled through snowy woods by two reindeer. They head for a steep drop-off. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No. They fly off the cliff and fall in slow motion. A heartbeat is the only sound that can be heard. They land on their backs, unharmed in the soft snow. TIM: You really need to take it easy. MOBY: Beep. TIM: I think this is the perfect time to answer a letter. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What is the taiga? From, JQ. TIM: The taiga is a belt of coniferous forests that stretches across most of North America, Asia, and Europe. A world map shows the location of the taiga. It stretches across the northern parts of the continents Tim names. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Coniferous trees, like pine and fir trees, make seed bearing cones. An image shows coniferous trees in a snowy, wooded area. An animation shows a pinecone. TIM: In terms of total land area, taiga is the largest biome on Earth. Taiga is mostly found in subarctic latitudes, between fifty degrees north and the Arctic Circle. A world map illustrates the part of the world Tim describes. TIM: Winters last up to six months, and it's usually below freezing. An animation shows snowfall in the woods. A thermometer indicates that the temperature is below freezing. A large clump of snow falls from a pine tree and buries Moby. MOBY: Beep. TIM: It's a good thing the plants and animals of the taiga have evolved to handle the extreme cold weather. Moby stands in a pile of snow, which buries him up to his torso. He is hugging himself and shivering. Moby is not well-adapted to the extreme cold. TIM: For example, pointy trees, like that one, shed snow easily. An image shows a pine tree that comes to a point at the top. TIM: The needles of a conifer have adapted to retain water when rainfall is scarce. An image shows the conifer needles as Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Actually, no. The average annual precipitation isn't that high, only about thirty to eightyfour centimeters a year. But there's not much evaporation, so the climate can be pretty humid. An animation shows a snowy area in the taiga. There is a haze that represents humidity in the air. TIM: In fact, some areas of the taiga have such bad drainage they become bogs, or muskegs. Tim walks into a snowless muskeg. TIM: These are swampy areas covered in moss and dead plant matter. Moby arises from behind him, covered in mud and plant matter, looking like a swamp monster. He raises his arms menacingly behind Tim. Tim sees him and is startled. TIM: Aah! He jumps away from Moby. Moby pulls the muck away from his own face and smiles. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Scientists think the water in these bogs was left behind thousands of years ago, by retreating glaciers. An animated map of North America shows the continent's glaciers moving north. TIM: Animals of the taiga are built for the cold, too. Most of the mammals have a coat of thick fur to keep them warm and insulated. An animation shows a woolly buffalo and a rabbit in a snowy area. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, it isn't cold all the time. Taiga summers are short, but they can get very hot. An animation shows a bright, hot summer sun. The buffalo and rabbit are both sweating profusely. BUFFALO: Aw, man. I'm boiling in here. RABBIT: You're telling me. TIM: Because it's so far north, the sun shines almost all day for weeks on end during the taiga summer. An animation shows the sun and Earth from space. It is wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere, and the taiga region is receiving direct sunlight. TIM: It must be hard to fall asleep when it's bright and sunny out. MOBY: Beep. It becomes dark, and a campfire burns behind Tim and Moby. They look into the winter sky at the Northern Lights. TIM: Hey, cool, the Northern Lights. MOBY: Beep. TIM: You know, they're also called the Aurora Borealis. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Are you calling me a nerd? MOBY: Beep. TIM: You're the nerd.Category:BrainPOP Transcripts